Village Funds

Community Philanthropy for Real Development

Dalia Association was established in 2007 by members of the Palestinian community from the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza Strip, Israel, and the Diaspora. We are diverse in terms of age, gender, religion and politics, yet we are united by our vision -- to realize our rights as Palestinians to control our resources and sustain our own development for generations to come. Our mission is to mobilize and properly utilize resources necessary to empower a vibrant, independent and accountable civil society.

After over 150 meetings with Palestinian civil society leaders, activists, professionals, and philanthropic experts from around the world, a core group of Palestinians became convinced that an endowed community foundation -- as idealistic as this seems -- was worth pursuing.

What is a “community foundation?”

Acommunity foundation is from the community and works for the community. In other words, the foundation is funded from the community and also invests in the community to build and strengthen groups that seek to serve their communities, leading to real, sustainable development.
Dalia aims to:

• Support inspirational and relevant civil society initiatives;• Build a system of community philanthropy that responds to community priorities; and
• Advocacy for reform of the international aid system.

Daliatook the initiative to build a system for community philanthropy that would earn respect by everyone. Traditional philanthropy takes the form of charity or zakat and benefits limited groups of people. Moreover, asking for help is usually accompanied by feelings of shame. We wish to counter these trends by puting mechanisms in place that make giving easier, more strategic, and safer. These include:

1.Company Funds

Company Funds are intended to facilitate private sector giving. The company contributes a fixed amount per year into a company-named fund. The funds are granted to civil society initiatives.

2.Village Funds

Village Funds target Palestinian communitiesin Diaspora, and those who are willing to help their village or community. The funds are named according to the village benefitting, for example, The Zawya Village Fund.

3.Family Funds

Family Funds are in honor of a particular family or a specific name and are aimed at those inside Palestine or outside in Diaspora.

• These funds will be deposited in sub-account under the account of Dalia Association as a designated account for philanthropy.
• A legal agreement will be signed with each fund contributor and they are entitled to select the category that they will support, such as children, women, education, health services, etc.
• Every village has the right to have its own fund an investment for the benefit of all groups and sectors of the village.

How these funds will be spent and where?

A group will be formed that is trusted and recommended bythe people of the village with a coordinator from Dalia. Anyone, individual or institution, can request a grant. The group will invite applications twice a year, which will be evaluated through the involvement of people who will vote according to the criteria they set. After implementation of the funded initiatives, the local community will evaluate them.